Charles Whitfield ("Chuck") Gale, 55, a lifelong resident of Smithfield, died on Tuesday, August 2, at his boyhood home on Red Point Drive after a courageous battle with cancer. He was the son of Charlotte Hutter Gale and the late Robert Whitfield Gale of Smithfield. He was the grandson of Joseph Bronson Gale and Edith Lane Gale of Rushmere, and Harold Heyward Hutter and Mayme Traylor Hutter of Lynchburg, Virginia, all of whom predeceased him.

Born on February 12, 1956, Chuck attended Isle of Wight County Public Schools and then high school at Isle of Wight Academy. At the Academy, Chuck was an outstanding athlete, playing on the varsity basketball team during his sophomore and junior years and on the varsity football team during his freshman, sophomore and junior years. As a rising senior, Chuck was named co-captain of the football team. Two weeks before the season began, however, Chuck was injured in an automobile accident in August 1973 that left him paraplegic. His classmates dedicated the 1974 Isle of Wight Academy yearbook to him.

Chuck did not let his paraplegia slow him down. After a period of rehabilitation at the Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, Chuck returned to Smithfield, obtained his G.E.D. and did coursework at Tidewater Community College and Old Dominion University. Thereafter, he worked as a product manager at Smithfield Foods for more than 30 years, from 1978 to 2009. He was also active in various civic endeavors, including the Real Smithfield Jaycees and the Smithfield Christmas Lights Judging Committee. He was an avid boatsman and member of the Smithfield Power Boat Association, and enjoyed cruising the Pagan and James Rivers in his various boats over the years. He was a sports enthusiast, closely following many college and professional teams, and was a member of the Victory Fantasy Baseball League. Above all, he was a treasured friend to countless individuals. Chuck was profiled in an August 31, 1983 article in the Daily Press.
In 1985, Chuck married Nancy Warner Dashiell of Smithfield. They were divorced in 2009. In November 2010, he married Allyn Anderson Umstead of Suffolk, who survives him.

In addition to his mother and wife, Chuck is survived by brothers Robert Hutter Gale of Smithfield, and Judge Joseph Harold Gale of Washington, D.C., as well as nephews Brian Hutter Gale of Smithfield, Kyle Devonte Warren of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Robert Shawn Edwards of Brentwood, Tennessee.

The family will receive visitors on Friday evening, August 5, from 5 to 8 p.m. at 313 Red Point Drive, Smithfield, Virginia. A memorial service in celebration of Chuck's life, followed by a reception, will be held on Friday evening, August 12, at 6 p.m., also at 313 Red Point Drive, Smithfield, Virginia. Memorial contributions may be made to the Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department, the Isle of Wight Volunteer Rescue Squad, or the Historic Sandusky Foundation, 757 Sandusky Drive, Lynchburg, Virginia 24502. Condolences may be registered online at www.parrfuneralhome.com